Second Industrial Revolution: Innovations & Global Impact
The Second Industrial Revolution
The period between 1870 and 1914 marked the second phase of economic development, characterized by new energy sources and industries. This era saw the concentration of business and finance, increased competition in international trade, and the decline of British industrial supremacy.
New Sources of Energy and Industry
The relationship between research and business intensified, with patents protecting inventions created in numerous laboratories. All sectors were affected, particularly steel, chemical, and electrical industries.
Metals Industry
This period is often called the “age of steel” due to significant changes in the steel industry. The Bessemer converter, the Martin and Siemens oven, and the Thomas-Gilchrist method enabled the production of higher quality and cheaper steel. Steel facilitated the construction of more precise and smaller machines and engines. The invention of chrome steel and stainless steel, along with new metals like aluminum for aeronautics, further revolutionized the industry.
Chemical Industry
Fundamental technical advances, such as the Solvay method for producing soda and the synthesis of organic compounds for dyes, explosives, and artificial fibers, drove the chemical industry. Pharmaceuticals and perfumes were also developed. However, the industry primarily focused on basic products.
Oil and Electricity
Electricity and oil emerged as new energy sources. The invention of hydraulic turbines for generating electricity in waterfalls, the dynamo, electric motors, and the incandescent lamp filament resolved early energy source problems. This led to a surge in applications, including public lighting, trams and electric railways, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, cinema, etc. Large companies like Phillips, Siemens, AEG, General Electric, and Westinghouse were established in this sector.
Oil was used in a range of products and plastic materials, giving rise to the petrochemical industry. Its impact was amplified by the development of the internal combustion engine.
Great Advances in Transport and Communications
The expansion of rail and waterway transport was accompanied by the emergence of trams, metros, bicycles, automobiles, and aviation.
Railroad and Navigation
Steel enhanced the capacity of wagons, increased speed and safety, and reduced prices. National markets were unified as a result.
Steam Navigation
From 1865, steamboats became dominant due to the use of iron in hull construction and the invention of the propeller, which decreased costs and increased capacity. The Suez and Panama canals shortened distances, and refrigeration revolutionized the transport of perishable goods.
Automobile and Aviation
The car resulted from the invention of the gasoline internal combustion engine and pneumatic tires. Henry Ford’s Model T Ford assembly lines popularized the automobile after 1945. Aviation was pioneered by the Wright brothers, but its development accelerated during the First World War.
Other Means of Transportation
The metro and tram revolutionized urban transport and city layouts. The bicycle was also invented during this period.
Communications
The telephone and wireless telegraphy enabled instant transmission of news, and technical innovations in the press boosted its reach.
The New Industrial Powers
By 1913, the United States had surpassed Britain, and Germany exceeded Britain in the steel, chemical, and electrical industries. However, Britain remained the world’s financial center, with the pound sterling as the currency of international exchange.